Lay Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts Group formed at Villa Pieta, Linwood, NJ.

In his comprehensive document on the Sacred Hearts Lay Missionary movement presented in February to the Lay Missionary group in Italy, Fr. Salvatore Izzo, quoted from the Vatican document on Consecrated Life in which the laity are invited to share in the charism and spirituality of religious congregations. In doing so, new paths of communion and cooperation may be beneficially formed for both the religious members and the laity. The aim is that through a communion of spirituality with religious, laity may be able to enter the world in different avenues that can extend the mission of our Institute even further. For the laity it can become a vital new way to live out their baptismal vocation.

The Italian Lay Missionary group, founded over ten years ago has grown in its involvement in the mission work of our priests working in parishes surrounding our motherhouse in Secondigliano. Now they are sharing their experiences with a newly established group that has begun to gather at our community house in Linwood.

Fr. Frederick Clement, M.SS.CC. is the spiritual director of the new group and Mr. Lamont Czar is the coordinator. Meetings are currently held monthly at Villa Pieta and include prayer, study of the charism of our Founder, St. Gaetano, talks by clergy and those involved in the outreach of the congregation. Each gathering ends with the celebration of Mass.